Barcelona, Spain. 1979
On a sunny day in Barcelona, also called "Barna" by the locals, Johan Cruyff decides to develop his own functional and stylish sports brand. Elegant sportswear for the technical player is what Johan envisions at the end of the seventies. And so it happened.
His philosophy was the following: developing not only a functional but also a stylish brand. Good examples of the Cruyff philosophy are Van Basten, once compared to a ballerina, but also Bergkamp, a true virtuoso who played perfect technical football.
After Johan has explained his specific wishes time and time again in vain to a well-known sports brand, the football legend decides to take matters into his own hands. Another legend is involved closely in this development: Emilio Lazzarini - a famous Italian designer and good friend of Johan Cruyff.
Characteristic for Lazzarini's work is the souplesse and comfort which he integrates in his designs. We are still inspired today by the design of the best Italian sports shoe ever made. The special lines around the sole are not only functional but also elegant. A combination which no one has ever used to manufacture a shoe before. The other, also basic but still revolutionary aspects of the shoe speak for themselves.
During the eighties Cruyff was a well-liked brand on the sports-fields, worn by many well-known players. From the start of the eighties Cruyff managed to conquer a large share of the Dutch market with his collection. During the 1988 Olympics in Seoul the Dutch Olympic team proudly wore Cruyff clothing. Apart from football Cruyff also directed his attention to tennis, hockey and casual wear.
Football stars like Vanenburg, Petterson, Jordi, Winter and Bosman played their best matches on shoes with Cruyff's signature and the C-flash.